Hamelia patens Jacq.

FIREBUSH

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Hamelia patens var. patens is native to Florida, the West Indies, Mexico, Central America, and South America, characterized as a shrub with long internodes, pubescent (especially abaxially) leaf blades (6-18 x 3-8 cm) often 2 per node, reddish petioles, 20-30 flowered inflorescences, and pubescent red to red-orange corolla tubes without a basal constriction. Another variety (not formally recognized here), H. patens var. glabra, is commonly cultivated (e.g. 'African firebush'), and is native primarily to northern South America and the surrounding region, characterized as a shrub with a dense growth habit, glabrous to pubescent and shiny leaf blades (4.5-9 x 1.5-3.6 cm) often 3-4 per node, green petioles, 30-50 flowered inflorescences, and glabrous yellow to yellow-orange corolla tubes with a narrow basal constriction (Elias 1976; Eliase & Pooler 2004).

Native FACU (NWPL)